East Africa

Kenyan Recruitment Scandal: Promised Jobs Turned into Frontline Dangers A nefarious scheme has been uncovered in Kenya where citizens seeking jobs in Russia ended up being deployed to the front lines in Ukraine. Central to this operation was Festus Omwamba, recently arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. Omwamba arrested near the Ethiopian border, linked to human trafficking. Over 1,000 Kenyans recruited, many finding themselves in dangerous conditions in Ukraine. Ongoing efforts by the Kenyan government to…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Lawmakers representing the Buurhakaba constituency have accused Ethiopian troops serving under the African Union mission in Somalia of meddling in local politics in Southwest State, alleging pressure on district officials and a failure to prioritize security in a volatile area. In a letter dated February 27, 2026, and addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union, three federal MPs — Saadad Mohamed Nur Aliyow, Fowsiyo Mohamed Sheikh, and Mohamed Ali Hassan — said Ethiopian forces operating in Sector…

A digital lifeline for Somalia’s children: Inside Mogadishu’s experiment with an electronic immunization register On a bright morning in Kahda, a district on the southern edge of Mogadishu, a young mother stands at the immunization desk without the small, creased card that once governed her child’s medical future. For years, that paper card—easily misplaced during eviction, flood or displacement—was the only proof a child had been vaccinated. When it disappeared, health workers guessed which doses had been given, repeated…

Kinshasa — The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed a five-year, $1.2 billion health financing agreement with the United States, officials announced, joining neighboring Uganda in adopting Washington’s new government-to-government aid framework. Under the pact, the DRC will receive $900 million in U.S. assistance while committing to boost domestic health spending by $300 million. The arrangement targets a slate of priority interventions intended to strengthen disease control and maternal-child health services. Program…

On a bright morning in Kahda, a fast-growing district on the southern edge of Mogadishu, a young mother steps to the immunization desk without the small, creased card that once governed her child’s medical future. Nurse Naima Muse turns from a crying toddler, taps a number into a desktop computer and summons the child’s vaccination record in seconds. “Before, if a mother lost the card, we had nothing,” she says. “Now, we just search.” The change is powered by Somalia’s Electronic Immunization Register, or EIR, a digital…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro urged Somalilanders to close ranks on Thursday as regional opposition intensifies to Israel’s recognition of the territory, calling unity essential to defend “nationhood and statehood” amid mounting diplomatic pressure across the Horn of Africa. “There are many conflicts going on around North Western State of Somalia. We have not harmed anyone, we have not taken anything from anyone,” Irro said in a speech in Hargeisa. “What is needed is…

CAIRO — Egypt on Tuesday denied reports that it was prepared to grant Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in return for flexibility from Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), calling the claims “entirely baseless,” according to the state-run Middle East News Agency. An official source, quoted by MENA, “categorically rejected” the circulating reports, stressing that “such reports are entirely baseless and unfounded.” The source added that “Egypt’s stance on water security and the GERD remains firm and…

‘Yemen’s Mogadishu’: In Aden’s al-Basateen, Somali refugees face dwindling aid and a future on hold At first light on the fringes of Aden, the paved roads of Yemen’s interim capital give way to narrow ribbons of sand. Here, in al-Basateen, men gather at the mouths of alleyways, watching for a pickup truck or a wave from a foreman—any sign of a day’s work. The district is known by many names, including “Yemen’s Mogadishu,” a nod to the Somali families who began arriving in the 1990s when war pushed them across the Gulf of…

HARARE — A group of public health physicians urged Harare and Washington on Thursday to resume negotiations after the collapse of a proposed $367 million bilateral health agreement that health experts say would have strengthened Zimbabwe's fragile health system. The proposed package, officials and health specialists said, was aimed at bolstering priority programs including HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, tuberculosis control, malaria response, maternal and child health services and disease outbreak preparedness. Its…

Malawi launches fresh investigation into Chikangawa military plane crash that killed former Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others in June 2024, citing gaps in earlier probes. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Charles Mhango on Tuesday announced a new, comprehensive review of the Chikangawa crash after a government audit found previous inquiries did not provide clear, conclusive explanations for the accident. The minister said a government review of earlier findings — including the national…